Food issues drive U.K. product recalls up to 272 in 2013: Study
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Driven by an increase in food recalls, there were 272 product recalls in the United Kingdom in 2013, up from 260 the previous year, according to research by London-based law firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain L.L.P. published Monday.
RPC said the early 2013 scandal when horse meat was detected in many beef products sold across Europe had put food safety “under the microscope.”
RPC found that between Nov. 1, 2012, and Oct. 31, 2013, an increase in food recalls — to 58 from 43 in the prior-year period — drove the overall increase.
“Many retailers conducted root and branch reviews of food safety standards after the scandal, with some carrying out precautionary recalls if they uncovered even small signs of a problem,” Stuart White, a partner at RPC, said in a statement.
“The supermarkets are very careful not to sell dangerous foodstuffs, but the public furor over the sale of horse meat meant they were more cautious than ever this year,” he said.
